Mussels

ARTICLES ABOUT MUSSELS BY DATE - PAGE 4

By Chris LaMorte. Chris LaMorte is a metromix special contributor | March 25, 2004

River Kwai Seafood II 1650 W. Belmont Ave. 773-472-1013 River Kwai Seafood II doesn't open for another half-hour, but I'm already late. A line has formed outside this Thai restaurant's Belmont Avenue front door. Ivan Svestka, 28, and his wife Danielle, 26, have driven from suburban North Riverside, braving frosty temps to secure first place in line. They're poised to pounce when Kwai opens at 11 p.m. Not that these two mind waiting. And at River Kwai, waiting's half the fun. By the time the doors open, the place is packed.

Argonne National Laboratory researchers are closing in on a technology to collect hydrogen cheaply so it could be used to power automobiles. Fuel cell technology that converts hydrogen to electricity is a priority of the Bush administration. People at Argonne have been working for years to improve components to make mobile fuel cells practical. They have developed a ceramic device that separates hydrogen in a pure form from other elements in an extremely hot gas. Even though hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, getting ahold of it can be an expensive proposition.

I first tasted mussel soup almost 30 years ago, but that bowl of soup still lives in my memory as if I ate it only yesterday. I had taken a few days off from Maxim's, the famous Art Nouveau-era Paris restaurant where I was working as a chef. I was on a pilgrimage to one of the great temples of French cuisine: Restaurant Paul Bocuse in Lyons, whose namesake chef had modernized that nation's cooking. His mussel soup was a revelation. A simple chowder, it featured fresh shellfish that were steamed in their shells with vegetables, fish stock and white wine, then shucked and bathed in cream with richly perfumed golden saffron and other spices and herbs.

Here's a sophisticated shellfish dish to dazzle your friends. It's extraordinary, one of those marvelous culinary preparations that makes a tremendous impression. The shellfish in tomato herb sauce was created by Gilbert LeCoze (now deceased), the chef-owner of Le Bernadin restaurant, first in Paris and then in New York City. Here, I've used mussels, scallops and shrimp. The mix is up to you, but your selection must be high quality and impeccably fresh. It cooks in a matter of minutes.

Your cash goes further than you think at these spots, where you get high-end atmosphere, attentive service and entrees for $20 or less. Mod 1520 N. Damen Ave. 773-252-1500 Names aren't the only things dropping at this funky Wicker Park restaurant--menu prices have also come down to earth. But the ultra-cool, Colorform-inspired decor is still the same, as is the menu's fabulousness factor. Current selections include seared duck breast with polenta and sauteed raspberries; and roasted free-range chicken with cremini mushroom bread pudding.

The rich gold color of saffron-infused foods is a strong clue to the value of this spice, if not its true color. Each hand-harvested "thread" of saffron is a single orange-red stigma (the part of a flower that receives pollen) from a particular species of crocus. This labor-intensive processing results in a spice with a pleasing, faintly bitter flavor and haunting aroma. Saffron threads hold their potency longer than the powdered spice. The quality of saffron varies, and it usually is priced accordingly.

Captivated by tales of an ancient underwater forest, Jack Fessenden, a student at Northeastern Illinois University, recently dove through the dark, frigid waters of Lake Michigan to see the 8,300-year-old tree stumps for himself. What Fessenden, 32, saw has alarmed Great Lakes researchers: Thick layers of zebra mussels are now caked over the wooden relics, threatening to destroy the site 15 miles northeast of Calumet Harbor. Scientists fear that the threadlike structures zebra mussels use to stay in place will tear apart the ancient wood within a few decades.

4 Taste. This clubby River West late-night hotspot offers an eclectic assortment of hot and cold tasting portions, all priced at $9.95. Regulars come for the foie gras, apple ravioli and Australian beef tenderloin. And, of course, John the bartender's cosmopolitan. Ohba. The latest arrival on the booming Division Street scene features appetizers that draw heavily from Japanese technique, including Thai "angry" mussels sauteed in coconut broth with a kick of wasabi. Also, try chef Gene Kato's signature ishi yaki, sliced New York strip steak (or opt for Kobe beef)

An experiment to save and breed clams rescued three years ago from a creek that developers planned to pave over is a partial success, according to scientists who've found thriving adult clams but very few young in the south branch of the Kishwaukee River in Huntley. After two days last week of mucking about in the waterway, Shedd Aquarium researchers found about 300 seemingly healthy adult heelsplitters, fat muskets, giant floaters and other species of the nearly 1,200 specimens moved in 1999.